Let it grow

Freed hostage (80) shaved off his son’s beard

Gadi Moses is greeted by his family after his release - to his left is his son Yair Moses.(Bild: APA/AFP)

As a sign of mourning, Yair Moses let his beard grow after his father was kidnapped in the Gaza Strip: now, after 15 months, the freed hostage was allowed to shave off his facial hair. A moving gesture that went viral on social media on Friday.

In Jewish tradition, growing hair or a beard is an expression of mourning. After his father was kidnapped in the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, Yair Moses decided not to shave until his father returned. When he read his name on the list of hostages to be released in mid-January, he publicly declared that he was waiting for his father to take over the shaving.

This article shows the touching moment: 

Grandson got haircut
Erez Moses, Yair's son and Gadi's grandson, had made a similar vow for his grandfather: He stopped having his hair cut, over months he grew a veritable mop of hair - which his grandpa was now also allowed to cut off.

Another relative's beard continues to grow
However, another hostage's beard continues to grow: Dani Miran, father of the kidnapped 47-year-old Omri Miran, now has a long, white beard.

His son Omri is not on the list of hostages to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. Dani Miran tells the AFP news agency that his beard will continue to grow - until his son is allowed to use the razor.